Olivier Awards announces 2018 performances & broadcast plans

The Awards will continue its successful partnerships with ITV and Facebook. The Biggest Night In British Theatre: The Olivier Awards will broadcast on ITV on Sunday 8 April from 10.20pm. It will also broadcast worldwide at the same time, outside the UK, on the Olivier Awards Facebook page. The Oliviers will broadcast in China via iQiyi on Tuesday 10 April.

The Awards will also continue its partnership with Magic Radio who will broadcast the entire show live on Sunday 8 April, hosted by Alice Arnold and Olivier Award-winner Ruthie Henshall, with build-up on air from 18:00. Sirius XM will broadcast the show via radio in the US.

The Red Carpet Live show will return this year from 4pm to 5.30pm, with a special interval Backstage show at 7pm, both shown exclusively on the Olivier Awards Facebook page.

There will be performances from a variety of Olivier-nominated musicals. The cast of Hamilton, which has a record-breaking thirteen nominations and is the most nominated production in Oliviers history, will open the show with its opening track Alexander Hamilton.

American musical theatre legend Chita Rivera will perform the iconic West Side Story track Somewhere with Andy Karl (Olivier Award 2017 winner for his performance in Groundhog Day), Adam J. Bernard (Olivier Award 2017 winner for his performance in Dreamgirls), and the Arts Educational Schools London Choir, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the production debuting in London.

A unique moment in honour of the 50th anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s iconic musical Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will take place, with past stars returning including Jason Donovan and Linzi Hateley, Lee Mead and Preeya Kalidas, and Joe McElderry and Danielle Hope.